Machine for the firing of furnaces.



1 J. U. HOBBS. MACHINE FOR THE FIRING 0F FURNACES.

, PATENTED JUNE 30, 1 903.

APPLICATION FII'JED NOV. 22, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

N0 MODEL.

Witness PATENTBDJ'UNE 30, 1 903.

No. 732,635.. I

J. U. HOBBS. MACHINE FOR THE FIRING 0F FURNACES.

uruommn FILED: nov. 22. 19.021

2 sums-SHEET 2.

to 10mm.

n n m 3 Jam UHozz E ncmqs mans 00. mm 0.. wmmucmn UNITED STATES I Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT ()FFICE.

MACHINE-FOR THE FIRING OF FURNACES-f SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,635, dated. Ju1ie 30,1903..

Application filed November 22, 190?. Serial No. 132,503. (roman:

To all 1072.01. 1, it may concern.-

Be it known that JOHN UTHo Bs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whiting,

in the county of Lake and State of Indiana,

have invented certain'new and useful'Improvements in Self-Feeding Furnaces;and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to'make and use the same.

My invention relates to grates of that class I adapted to be used in connection with fur naces, boilers, &c.-, and more particularly in the larger furnaces andboilers where a great amount of fuel is required to produce the requisite amount of heat. I

The objects of my invention are, first, to

provide a series of movable grate-sections, so

that a new supply of fuel may be automatically carried into the combustion-chamber as desired or at the will of the attendant.

Another object of my invention is to provide a means whereby the fuel may be deposited upon the grate-bars autotnatically,thus dispensing with the arduous and expensive task of manually placing the fuel upon the grate and also avoiding the opening and closing of the furnace-doors, thereby retaining the heat that would otherwise escape.

A further object in providing the movable grates is that thea'shes, clinkers, '&c., are removed from the grate-bed by gravity, thus presenting a clean surface to the new supply of fuel.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more clearly set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows an elevation of a furnace embodying my invention, a portion of one side of the combustion chamber being broken away, showing the grate-bars in section. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the same as seen from the dotted line mm in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a section of my improved movable grate and some of the ac.- cessory parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference-numerals desig nate corresponding parts throughout the views, 1 indicates the base portion proper of a furnace of the usual or any preferred construction, the said base 1 havinga combustion-chamber 2 at its-upper side and an ashchamber 3 at its lower side. Interposed between the combustion-chamber 2 and the ashchamber 3 are a series of grate-sections 4,.

each having aplurality of bars, thesaid sections being held in' unison with each other by suitable links 5 or the equivalent thereof.

The links 5 are carried upon axles or trucks 6, one link being disposed at each end of the truck, and are held'in position upon said truck by means of bolts or otherwise. The said links are provided with, orifices 7 on either side of the axle 6, into which take gudgeons 8 of the grate-bars 4, the links carried by one axle supporting one side of the grate-bars 4, the opposite side beingsupported by links carried upon the next succeeding axle. By this means it will be seen thata sufficientnumber of grates may be attached together to accommodate or equip a furnace of any size. The axles or trucks 6 are provided at either end with trunnions or journals 9, said trunnions being adapted to travel in the channeled trackways or grooves 10 and 11, formed in the walls of the base portion 1.

By providing trunnions, as specified, a free and easy movement is imparted to the gratesec'tions while traveling through the furnace and thence back to the initial or starting po n Carried upon suitable supporting-shafts 12 are recessed disks or heads 13, the said heads being four in number and so mounted upon the rods or shafts 12 as to register with the trackways 10 and 11. The recesses 14 around the periphery of the disks or heads 13 are so disposed as to receive the trunnions 9 as they leave the trackways 10 and 11, the disks or heads'13 being of sufficient size to deliver the trunnions into the trackways 10 and 11.,

as will be obvious.

Secured to the upper face of the links 5 by means of bolts 15 or the like are blocks of suitable material 15, preferablycom posed of fire-clay, thus forming a chamber into which the combustible material'is deposited, the

said blocks forming a continuous railing or guard at either end of the grate-sections, thus preventing the coal or other substance from dropping off the sides ofsaid grate-sections.

At one end of the furnace I provide a hop- IOO per 16, into which the coal or other fuel material is placed, the said material being adapted to pass through a suitable opening 17 and directly onto the grate-sections 4, the flow of said fuel through said opening 17 being regulated by the sliding door 18, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, or the equivalent thereof. It is quite obvious that by this construction a uniform flow of fuel will be attained and the fuel evenly distributed upon the grates as each succeeding grate is brought forward beneath the opening 17.

At the front end of the base portion 1 I have provided suitable doors 19, through which access to the interior of the base 1 is obtained, so that when the grate-sections are manually operated it is only necessary to open the said doors to ascertain when a new supply of fuel is needed. These doors may also be used in regulating the draft required to successfully establish the proper degree of combustion. Should the fuel be carried forward faster than it is consumed, I have provided a gate 20, which is adapted to be shoved down into the path of the fuel upon the grate-sections, so that any unconsu med fuel will come in contact with said gate and be held within the combustion-chamber until it is consumed, it being understood that the gate will be sufficiently elevated above the grates to allow the ashes from the consumed fuel to pass freely under the same.

In Figure 1 I have shown a means for manually moving the grate-sections 4, the said means consisting of a ratchet-wheel 21, rigidly attached to one end of one of the shafts 12, and a lever 22, carrying a pawl 23, pivotally mounted upon the said shaft 12 and adapted to cooperate with said ratchet-wheel.

In operation coal, coke, or other fuel is placed in the hopper 16, and after a suificient quantity has passed through the opening 17 ignition is established and the ignited mass of fuel is caused to move forward into the combustion-chamber to or beyond the center thereof. Owing to the fact that the draft enters the base portion 1 from the end opposite that occupied by the hopper 16, it will be seen that the fire will gradually travel toward the said hopper. After the fuel in the front or central portion of the chamber has been thoroughly consumed the lever 22 is pulled forward, thus rotating the heads 13, and as a portion of the trunnions 9 are in engagement with the grooves 1% the whole series of grate-sections a are caused to travel forward, thus bringing a new supply of fuel into the combustion-chamber and at the same time removing by means of gravity the ashes and products of combustion from the grates when the latter start on their downward course. It will be seen that by this means one attendant can operate a number of furnaces, and it will also be seen that each of the grate-sections will be kept free of all ashes, clinker-s, 850., and thus prolong the life of the grates and save much time and labor.

While I have shown means for manually moving the grate-bars, I do not desire to be strictly confined thereto, as other means may be successfully employed, if deemed necessary.

It will be understood that the various parts of my invention may be constructed of any preferred material deemed suitable for all purposes and formed of any preferred size to meet all the varying requirements of such an appliance, and while I have described the preferred combination and construction of parts deemed necessary in carrying out my invention I wish to comprehend such equivalents and substitutes as may be considered as fairly falling within the scope of my invention.

Believing that the manner of constructing and using my improved self-feeding furnace have thus been made clearly apparent from the foregoing specification, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, further reference is deemed unnecessary.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described fuel-feeding attachment for furnaces, boilers or the like, comprising the combination with the combustion-chamber, of a suitable guideway or track located therein; trucks 6 having trunnions at each end adapted to travel in said guideway, links carried by said truck; gratesections having two gudgeons at each end adapted to enter orifices in said links whereby the said grate-sections are connected togetherto form an endless series of grates; supportingwheels located at each end of the furnace adapted to support said grate-sections and means to drive said grate-sections substantially as set forth.

2. In a fuel-feeding attachment for furnaces, a plurality of grate-sections; links adapted to connect said sections; blocks 15 carried by said links whereby a continuous railing is formed at each end of said gratesections to provide a chamber for the combustible material, and means adapted to secure said blocks to said linkswhereby said blocks may be renewed as desired, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fuel-feeding attachment for furnaces, the combination with a plurality of grate-sections, each section having two gudgeons at each end, of trucks 6; links carried by said trucks, each link having orifices adapted to receive a gudgeon of each contignous grate-section whereby the said sections will be joined together and form an endless series of grates, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN U. HOBBS.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. LANSING, FRED. E. BARNEY.

IIO 

